USA Today on Take Back Our Republic Forum

“It seems to me that this sends a blank check to any foreign interest,” said John Pudner, a conservative political consultant from Alabama. Pudner gained attention in 2014 for helping a little-known professor Dave Brat toss out then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the Virginia GOP primary. (Brat won the general election.)

Pudner now runs Take Back Our Republic, a group working to encourage conservatives to reduce the influence of big donors in elections. On Monday afternoon, he planned to host a forum on the threat of foreign political money.